Kiribati and Kapiti: President Anote Tong on Climate Change

When President Anote Tong of the
Republic of Kiribati told his story about climate change to
the United Nations General Assembly, they didn’t listen.
“They only want to talk about terrorism,” Tong said.
“Perhaps we should call it eco-terrorism. Then they might
listen.”

Tong was giving the opening keynote speech at
today’s ‘In the Eye of the Storm’ Pacific climate
change conference at Victoria University.

While he
jokingly requested that New Zealand gift him Kapiti Island
in case the ocean should swallow Kiribati, his remarks
painted a bleak picture of a disappearing island and a
nation deeply affected by the rising sea.

Tong said he
was often asked, ‘Why don’t you move back [up the
island]?’ His response: “Because if we move back, we
fall off the other side.” In one recent boat outing, he
saw several palm trees falling near the sea due to the
worsening soil caused by the rising sea levels.

In
Kiribati, houses, arable land, and entire villages were
falling below sea level. In one village, only a church
remained on a patch of high ground. Tong hoped this church
could be protected against the encroaching waters, to serve
as an illustration of the effects of the rising oceans on
Kiribati.

“We have to undertake quite significant
adaptation strategies,” he added. During storms, waves
would often roll over much of Kiribati’s land. Building
“sustainable” houses was also a major issue.

However,
there was so much “momentum” behind climate change that
Kiribati’s demise could be inevitable, necessitating a
“plan B”: Kiribati had acquired a significant amount of
land from Fiji for potential relocation.

Tong added that
many of his citizens were already leaving for countries like
New Zealand. “People are moving because they fear their
islands disappearing.” However, he rejected the idea that
these people were “climate refugees”, arguing that all
those forced to leave should be welcomed as productive
workers through standard immigration systems.

Despite
this, Tong said Kiribati had “made a commitment that our
islands will never disappear”. He had spent his three
terms in office trying to get international action on
climate change. Making clear his frustration with
international processes, he said that the UN frequently made
agreements protecting people from being hurt by violence but
would not do the same on climate change. The international
community had to recognize that “there are people being
hurt” because of climate change.

Tong, who in a few
weeks will conclude his final term in office, also
criticised politicians for protecting coal mining interests
and justifying their position by claiming it benefited
workers. “We mustn’t be so naïve … Coal miners
don’t benefit, mine owners benefit.” Self-interested
politicians were a major problem, he added. “Governments
don’t have a conscience, they only have elections … It
becomes about your political career.”

Tong expressed
his joy over the “miracle in Paris” following the COP 21
conference there in November last year. “I hope that what
happened in Paris will not be a repetition of what happened
in Copenhagen,” he added, noting that it will be
interesting to see which countries ratify the COP 21
agreement in the coming months – and then honour their
pledges.

Tong concluded by addressing diplomats and other
members of the audience who might have felt his speech
criticised them. He told them: “If what I have said has
made you feel uncomfortable, don’t feel comfortable, and
do the right
thing.”

This is an opportunity for you as one of the 4 million potential funders and recipients of a Universal Basic Income to collectively consider the issue:1. Is UBI is a desirable policy for New Zealand; and2. How should a UBI system work in practice. More>>

The National party has announced its youth justice policy, which includes a controversial plan for recidivist serious youth offenders to be hit over the head with a comically large rubber mallet. More>>

ALSO:

It's been brought to my attention that Labour's new campaign slogan is "Let's do this". A collective call to action. A mission. I myself was halfway out of the couch before I realised I wasn't sure what it was I was supposed to do. More>>

ALSO:

Ordinary citizens have had very few venues where they can debate and discuss as to what they believe has led to the crisis in affordable housing and how we might begin to address this. The HiveMind on affordable housing was about redressing the balance. More>>

ALSO:

This is an opportunity for you as one of the 4 million guardians of our common water resources to help us find mutually agreeable solutions to the critical task of collectively managing these resources for health and sustainability. More>>